PDFS vs CDNS vs AIP Stock Comparison

Pdf Solutions, Cadence Design Systems and Arteris Prices as of Oct 28, 2026 Peers: Industry group
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PDFS Pdf Solutions Inc
$45.49 -8.6% 1M +59.2% 1Y
Market cap
$1.86B
P/E
180.6x
Revenue (TTM)
$241.18M
Div. yield
–
Semiconductor EDA Software Technology
6 wins
CDNS Cadence Design Systems Inc
$342.46 +4.8% 1M +0.3% 1Y
Market cap
$93.72B
P/E
67.9x
Revenue (TTM)
$6.13B
Div. yield
–
Semiconductor EDA Software Technology
4 wins
AIP Arteris, Inc.
$21.43 -7.3% 1M +57.0% 1Y
Market cap
$966.81M
P/E
–
Revenue (TTM)
$84.62M
Div. yield
–
Semiconductor EDA Software Technology
1 win

Head to Head

11 decided of 12

Pdf Solutions leads on 6 of the 12 questions below (Pdf Solutions 6, Cadence Design Systems 4, Arteris 1). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionPDFSCDNSAIPLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $1.86B $93.72B $966.81M CDNS
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 180.6x 67.9x -24.5x CDNS
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 33.4x 38.7x — PDFS
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +23.0% +17.6% +33.8% AIP
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 4.3% — -46.7% PDFS
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 3.1% — -101.1% PDFS
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA -1.3x — 3.3x PDFS
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% –
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +59.2% +0.3% +57.0% PDFS
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +14.1%/yr +14.6%/yr -0.8%/yr CDNS
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 69.4% 41.3% 79.1% CDNS
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 47/100 47/100 28/100 PDFS

Percentile Scorecard

PDFSCDNSAIP

Each axis is the mean percentile of its metrics against the company's industry group. 100 is the best in the group, 50 the middle.

Scores by Axis

AxisPDFSCDNSAIP
Valuation 39 #58 of 94 26 #70 of 94 11 #84 of 94
Growth 86 #14 of 92 62 #36 of 92 74 #25 of 92
Profitability 43 #52 of 90 54 #42 of 90 18 #74 of 90
Financial Health 54 #46 of 99 – 28 #72 of 99
Shareholder Returns 15 #62 of 73 – 11 #65 of 73
Overall 47 47 28
  • PDFS ranked among 103 companies in Semiconductors
  • CDNS ranked among 103 companies in Semiconductors
  • AIP ranked among 103 companies in Semiconductors

Price Performance

Price return, split-adjusted, before dividends. Click a name to hide or show it.

Returns

PeriodPDFSCDNSAIPSPY
1 month -8.6%+4.8%-7.3% +0.9%
3 months +10.5%+2.9%-20.5% +5.9%
6 months +13.7%+3.8%-20.7% +8.5%
Year to date +59.4%+9.6%+38.3% +13.3%
1 year +59.2%+0.3%+57.0% +12.4%
3 years +66.7%+48.3%+299.1% +88.1%
3 years, per year +18.6%+14.1%+58.7% +23.5%
5 years +93.3%+97.8%-4.1% +68.2%
5 years, per year +14.1%+14.6%-0.8% +11.0%
10 years +128.2%+1,249.3%— +263.4%
10 years, per year +8.6%+29.7%— +13.8%

Risk

MeasurePDFSCDNSAIPSPY
Volatility, 1Y 69.4%41.3%79.1% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 71.9%40.8%81.1% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 3.081.633.63 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 0.850.010.72 0.98
Max drawdown, 5Y -65.5%-33.0%-87.6% -25.4%
From 52-week high -35.7%-17.8%-55.9% -0.9%
52-week high $70.79$416.39$48.59 $779.14
52-week low $23.97$265.66$12.32 $631.97

Valuation History

Weekly multiples on trailing twelve-month fundamentals. Negative or extreme readings (a loss year, a collapsed denominator) are left out so the chart stays readable.

MultiplePDFSCDNSAIP
P/E now vs peer median 180.6xmedian 46.0x 68.0xmedian 46.0x -25.6xmedian 46.0x
P/S now vs peer median 7.9xmedian 7.9x 15.4xmedian 7.9x 12.4xmedian 7.9x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 49.8xmedian 28.3x —median 28.3x -26.0xmedian 28.3x
P/FCF now vs peer median -1,056xmedian 41.4x 53.2xmedian 41.4x 155.4xmedian 41.4x
P/B now vs peer median 5.1xmedian 4.6x 13.7xmedian 4.6x 15.5xmedian 4.6x
PEG now vs peer median 85.86median 2.30 5.46median 2.30 -6.79median 2.30

Financial History

Reported figures by fiscal period, placed on the calendar year (or quarter) each period ended in, so companies with different fiscal years line up.

Trailing twelve monthsPDFSCDNSAIP
Revenue $241.18M $6.13B $84.62M
Gross profit $172.35M – $74.13M
Operating income $19.66M $1.77B -$40.39M
Net income $10.31M $1.38B -$39.52M
Free cash flow -$1.81M – $6.77M
R&D $70.34M $2.04B $57.09M
EPS (diluted) $0.25 $5.00 $-0.84
Cash & equivalents $114.88M $1.45B $93.27M
Total debt $66.52M – $3.50M
Shares (diluted) 41.78M 276.16M 47.28M
Enterprise value $1.64B $93.72B $713.06M

All Metrics

58 metrics · best in bold

Bold marks the best reading: the lowest positive value for multiples, leverage and payout, the highest for everything else. The bar under each value is its percentile against that company's own peers. Hover a value for its rank and the peer median.

Valuation

12 metrics
MetricPDFSCDNSAIP
P/E 180.6x 68.0x -25.6x
P/FCF -1,056x 53.2x 155.4x
P/Operating cash flow 49.2x 47.9x 123.6x
P/S 7.9x 15.4x 12.4x
P/B 5.1x 13.7x 15.5x
P/Tangible book 5.9x 18.6x 21.5x
EV/EBITDA 49.8x – -26.0x
EV/EBIT 94.5x – -23.1x
EV/Revenue 7.7x 15.4x 11.0x
EV/FCF -1,029x – 137.8x
EV/Operating cash flow 48.0x 47.9x 109.6x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 85.86 5.46 -6.79

Growth

14 metrics
MetricPDFSCDNSAIP
Revenue growth (1Y) 23.0% 17.6% 33.8%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 14.0% 16.1% –
Gross profit growth (1Y) 23.3% – 30.2%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 14.7% – –
Operating income growth (1Y) 10,088% 19.4% -30.4%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 57.7% 16.4% –
Net income growth (1Y) 1,100% 30.1% -19.2%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 4.4% 13.0% -6.1%
EPS growth (1Y) 1,028% 29.0% -5.5%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 2.1% 12.5% 3.8%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 170.5% 21.7% 850.8%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 26.6% 13.6% 36.6%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 85.2% – 486.2%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) -29.8% – 33.8%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricPDFSCDNSAIP
Gross margin 71.5% – 87.6%
EBITDA margin 15.5% – -42.4%
Operating margin 8.2% – -47.7%
Pretax margin 6.9% – -51.7%
Net margin 4.3% – -46.7%
FCF margin -0.7% – 8.0%
Operating cash flow margin 16.0% 32.1% 10.1%
Return on equity 3.2% – -117.0%
Return on assets 2.2% – -22.5%
Return on invested capital 3.1% – -101.1%
Return on capital employed 4.9% – -45.4%
Asset turnover 0.5x 0.5x 0.5x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 3.8x 1.4x -0.2x
Stock comp / revenue 10.6% 8.9% 25.3%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricPDFSCDNSAIP
Debt / assets 12.8% – 1.6%
Debt / equity 0.2x – 0.1x
Net debt / EBITDA -1.3x – 3.3x
Debt / FCF -36.9x – 0.5x
Liabilities / assets 28.3% – 69.9%
Equity / assets 71.7% 56.2% 30.1%
Interest coverage 4.3x – -236.2x
Current ratio 3.4x 1.4x 1.6x
Quick ratio 3.4x – 1.5x
Cash ratio 1.6x – 1.3x
Altman Z-score 8.57 – 2.88

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricPDFSCDNSAIP
Dividend yield – – –
Net buyback yield -4.5% – -7.1%
Shareholder yield -4.5% – -7.1%
Payout ratio (earnings) – – –
Payout ratio (FCF) – – –
Dividend growth (1Y) – – –
Dividend CAGR (3Y) – – –

Analyst Estimates

Solid lines are reported fiscal-year results; dashed lines are the consensus for the years ahead. Hover a year for the analysts' high and low, and how each result compared with its estimate.

ConsensusPDFSCDNSAIP
Forward P/E 33.4xFY2026 38.7xFY2026 –
EPS, next fiscal year $1.36FY2026 $8.84FY2026 $-0.17FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +44.7%FY2026 +23.8%FY2026 –
EPS growth, the year after +16.9% +14.6% –
Revenue, next fiscal year $273.57MFY2026 $6.79BFY2026 $91.38MFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +24.9%FY2026 +28.2%FY2026 +29.5%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +13.8% +13.9% +22.1%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersPDFSCDNSAIP
Held by institutions 93.0% 88.2% 64.9%
Institutions holding 283 1,500 209
Change in shares held, QoQ +20.8% +5.4% +14.9%
Institutions buying 191 833 163
Institutions selling 61 518 40
Buyers to sellers 3.13 1.61 4.08

Return Correlation

Daily returns, last 12 months

1.00 means two stocks move in lockstep, 0 that they move independently. Pairs below about 0.5 diversify each other.

PDFSCDNSAIP
PDFS 1.00 0.44 0.66
CDNS 0.44 1.00 0.40
AIP 0.66 0.40 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, PDFS, CDNS and AIP?

Cadence Design Systems (CDNS) is the largest by market capitalisation: Pdf Solutions (PDFS) $1.86B, Cadence Design Systems (CDNS) $93.72B, Arteris (AIP) $966.81M.

Which stock is cheaper, PDFS, CDNS and AIP?

Cadence Design Systems (CDNS) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Pdf Solutions (PDFS) 180.6x, Cadence Design Systems (CDNS) 67.9x, Arteris (AIP) -24.5x). On next year's consensus earnings, Pdf Solutions (PDFS) is cheapest (Pdf Solutions (PDFS) 33.4x, Cadence Design Systems (CDNS) 38.7x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

Arteris (AIP) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: Pdf Solutions (PDFS) +23.0%, Cadence Design Systems (CDNS) +17.6%, Arteris (AIP) +33.8%.

Which company is more profitable?

Pdf Solutions (PDFS) has the highest net margin (Pdf Solutions (PDFS) 4.3%, Arteris (AIP) -46.7%). On return on invested capital, Pdf Solutions (PDFS) leads (Pdf Solutions (PDFS) 3.1%, Arteris (AIP) -101.1%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Pdf Solutions (PDFS) returned the most: Pdf Solutions (PDFS) +59.2%, Cadence Design Systems (CDNS) +0.3%, Arteris (AIP) +57.0%. Over five years, Cadence Design Systems (CDNS) compounded fastest (Pdf Solutions (PDFS) +14.1%/yr, Cadence Design Systems (CDNS) +14.6%/yr, Arteris (AIP) -0.8%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Cadence Design Systems (CDNS) has been the steadiest (Pdf Solutions (PDFS) 69.4%, Cadence Design Systems (CDNS) 41.3%, Arteris (AIP) 79.1%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, PDFS, CDNS and AIP?

There is no single answer; it depends on what you are buying for. On the 12 head-to-head measures on this page, Pdf Solutions (PDFS) leads on 6. Business Quant does not give investment advice; use the comparison as a starting point for your own research.

Data from SEC filings, exchange prices and consensus estimates, via Business Quant. Percentile scores compare each company with its own peer group, so two companies' scores are each relative to different peers unless you rank against the whole market. Price returns exclude dividends. Nothing on this page is investment advice.